Improvement in automatic gates



EEIcE.

PATENT JOEILT. HAM, OF LIBERTY, IDIAXA.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC GATES.

Specification forning part vof Letters Patent No. 147,635, dated February 17, 1874; application filed July 22, 1873.

To all whom 'it may concern:-

Be it known that I, JOEL T. HAM, of Liberty, 'in the county of Union and in the State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate; and do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a gate, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled inthe art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which` Figure l is a perspective view of the entire gate 5 and Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are detached views of certain parts thereof.

A represents the gate, which may be made of wood or iron, and of any7 size or pattern desired; and it is hung between two posts, B B, on one side of the entrance. Back of these posts, and a suitable distance from them, are placed two other posts, G C. To one of these back posts C is attached one end of a timber, D, set edgewise, and blocked and furred off, so as to place it exactly in the center between the posts. It is bolted through the post, so a-s to allow it to turn easily on the bolt, and the end of the bolt should be suitably supported bya brace. The timber I) extends forward between the posts B B, and is even with the inner sides of them, so as not to obstruct the entrance. This end of the timber is held into position by an L-sha-ped iron, E, of sufficient strength to support the weight of the timber and gate. The upper end of the iron E may be shaped so as to lill the space between th`e posts B B; or it may be grooved in and fastened to a sliding block to work between the posts, the object being to hold the iron and timber steady when raising and loweriiig the gate. To the upper end of this iron or block is attached a short cha-in, a, the other en d of which is` attached to a pulley, G, which is to work one-half of a revolution. The pnl ley being about six inches in diameter, this motion will raise and lower about nine inches,

so that when the timber l) is placed, say, four and a half inches below a horizontal line, and the pulley is turned a half revolution, it will be raised four and a half inches above a horizontal line, thus giving sufficient incline either way for the gate to open and close by its own weight. The pulley G is worked by a wheel, H, attached to the same shaft. The face or edge of this wheel is grooved, and in this groove is worked a small chain or rope, l). This chain or rope is attached to the under side of the wheel when the timber D, which I will call a tramway, is at its lowest point, and one end is passed around the wheel and brought out over the top of the saine. The other end of the chain or rope is passed around the wheel in the opposite direction, and both ends are passed over pulleys z' Iilin the ends of a cross-bar, I, on top of the posts B I3. To the ends of the chain or rope b are attached stirrup-shaped hand-holds cl d, so that when it is desired to open the gate it is only necessary to pull on either end of this chain, which will raise the tramway D and give an incline that will run the gate open, and, when driving through, pull the other end, which lets the tramway down and gives an incline that close-s the gate. The upper surface of the tramway D should be ironed with suitable-sized iron placed on each side of the timber, and turned up at the ends to keep the truck fromrunning oif at the ends. The truck is made with wheels ff, having suitable flanges running on the outer sides of the tramway, and placed on an axle projecting a short distance beyond the wheels. The axles are then connected by a bar, 7i, on each side, and between them is fastened alight piece, 7.', of wood of sufficient length a-nd width to let the trucks work freely. To the gate A, of whatever size or style it may be, is attached a beam, J, set edgewise and ironed the same as the tramway D. One end of this beam, when the gate is closed, extends to the center of the gate, and from the saine the gate is suspended, and the other or back end of the beam rides on top of the wheels j" f of the truck, and is held on the saine by a roller, m, fastened to the two back posts C C, which rollers serve in place of a counter-balance to keep the gate from dropping forward. Ihen the gate is closed the truck is as far forward as it can come, and when the tram= way is raised the truck and gate run down the incline, and then the gate is opened. One of the lian ges of the wheel II, by which the tramway and gate are lifted, has an enlargement, a, that rises gradually each way to the center, where there is a notch, into which a brake, p, attached to a spring, slides and holds the tramway up, and keeps the gate open until the other end of the chain b is pulled, which lets it down, and the gate runs down the ineline and is closed. Vhen the gate is closed it is held from being shoved back by a hooklatch, s, and is held from being lifted by a sliding rod or bar, t, that reaches the whole length of the gate. The back end of this rod t has a catch, v, on it, that comes in close contact with a tripper, K, that draws back the bar and allows the gate to rise and relieve the latch. This tripper H is a right-angled or knee-shaped iron hun g by a bolt at the elbow, the upper arm hooking over a bolt, .00, in the side of the tramway I), so that when the tramway and gate are raised the lower arm of the tripper strikes the catch c on the sliding bar t, and drives it back and allows the gate to rise. When the gate is closed it is latched and bolted to a post, lll, on the other side of the entrance, a spring, w, throwing the bar or bolt t forward. -The wheel H,.by which the tramway and gate are raised, is placed on brackets on the side of the posts at such elevation as will give room for raising the tramway and gate. This wheel, and also the tramway, should be all boxed in and protected from the weather. The cross-bar I, projecting on both sides, may be at any elevation and extend out any length required, and, if necessary, supported by suitable braces.

By this construction a hanging gate is formed which moves on trucks with the least possible friction, and running on an inclined plane.

Having thus fully described my invent-ion, lwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The L- shaped iron E, supporting the movable end of the tramway D, and connected withy the pulley G, in combination with the wheel II, having notched enlargement n, spring-brake p, and chain or chains b, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The right-angled or knee-shaped tripper K, operated by the lpin :c on the tramway D, in combination with the catch t, rod or bar t, and spring w, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The combination of the gate A, posts B G, tramway I), L -shaped supporting-iron E, the truck fh k, beam J, and roller m, all constructed and operated substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of July, 1873.

JOEL T. HAM.

Witnesses:

' THos. F. HUDDLnsroN,

vA. K. Barns. 

